Pharmaceutical Procurement officer

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria – more than half of the country’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Pharmaceutical Procurement Officer is responsible for the end-to-end supply chain process for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) items, non-food items (NFI), and emergency pre-positioned stock. Scope includes strategic sourcing, product selection, inventory management and reporting, and transport.

The role establishes and maintains helpful partnerships with suppliers and other organizations and develops and implements critical initiatives within the pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and indirect categories stated above. A good proportion of the total category spend, and suppliers may not be handled directly.

Responsibilities:

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

• Manage end to end supply chain process for pharmaceutical, nutrition product, medical device and medical equipment requirements.
• Serve as subject matter specialist for drug procurement and medical devices and equipment and service providers related to pharmaceutical regulations, and serve as a focal point for donors’ requirements
• Pharmaceutical officer processes, such as supplier prequalification, demand planning and quantification, quality assurance and control, cold chain storage, distribution, and pharmacovigilance for Global and Regional Suppliers
• Provide technical advice and guidance to Country Program Supply Chain staff on donor compliance, importation, and sourcing from Global suppliers.
• Negotiate supply agreements and renewals and cost saving management
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management which will include periodic business reviews with key suppliers to identify process improvements and cost reduction opportunities
• Develop supplier score cards and other analytics to enable team to effectively manage supplier performance
• Lead supplier selection and pre-qualification process for global and regional suppliers
• Support and participate in quality assurance and pharmacovigilance activities in conjunction with Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Health Unit as part of supplier relationship management
• Conduct and coordinate regular and ad hoc inspections of IRC suppliers and their manufacturers, to safeguard the quality of supplies delivered to IRC beneficiaries for Global and Regional suppliers only.
• Ensure that Essential Drug Lists and lists of waived additional items are communicated to Global and Regional suppliers.

Emergency Pre-Positioned Stock

• Strategic sourcing of suppliers for stocks required for Emergency response.
• Inventory management with all suppliers and monthly reporting to HQ finance
• Release authority for all pre-positioned stock
• Focal point for country programs regarding Emergency Stocks purchase

Indirect Categories: WASH, NFI

• Identify high-spend global categories for goods and services by collaborating with supply chain teams based in the regions.
• Demonstrate significant expertise in contract negotiations and cost management
• Nurture supplier relationships
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management to continually identify process improvements and cost reduction opportunities
• Well-versed in analysis of spend data and cost models for continuous improvement
• Develop supplier scorecards and other analytics to enable team to effectively assess supplier performance

Required Experience/qualification/Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree is required preferably in Pharmacy, or equivalent qualification.
• Experience in sourcing pharmaceuticals and medical devices and equipment
• Extensive experience of medical logistics and pharmaceutical supply chain systems in developing contexts
• Experience managing medical warehousing facilities in support of NGO health programs.
• 2-4 years of related experience, preferably in a similar role
• INGO experience preferred with understanding of institutional donors’ policies relating to pharmaceutical procurement and management.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Knowledge of developments and trends within pharmaceuticals industry
• Knowledge of risk management, with the ability to identify and address anticipated issues
• Extensive knowledge of pharmaceuticals related quality systems such as GDP, GMP, and ISO 9000 series
• Must have shown project management skills and experience, excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to find solutions and achieve results, the ability to analyze and resolve sophisticated issues, and the ability to empower team members
• Ability to establish supplier specifications, measure conformance, and identify process improvement opportunities that are defined in conjunction with internal customers
• Ability to provide fact-based recommendations and market and industry analysis
• Advanced and validated knowledge of procurement industry cost structures and drivers
• General knowledge of applicable laws and regulations
• Excellent problem solving and negotiation skills
• Knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Word as well as experience implementing and using procurement systems
• Complexity of products and projects requires high quality project and program management skills and a shown ability to handle change both internally and externally

Language/Travel:

• English and Arabic are required, while Kurdish is desired.
• Travel: 10% to field sites in Derek and Raqqa as well as

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Procurement Manager

Position directly supervises: NA

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): NA

Key Internal Contacts: All programs and sectors.

Key External Contacts: Vendor and partners.

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.